Prior art related to progressive prizes generally utilize gaming devices that typically contain one or more games that can be played for various prizes. Each game has a pay table that consists of one or more pay lines defining all possible outcomes of one play of the game that can result in awarding a prize to a player. A particular game's theoretical pay out percentage, also known as payback percentage, can be mathematically computed from the pay table. The computation compares the prize values for each pay line and the odds the player has to win the prize, to the theoretical sum of all wagers that would need to be played to reach every possible outcome. These concepts are described in detail in Dwight and Louise Crevelt's book VIDEO POKER MANIA!!
The theoretical pay out of different gaming devices may vary considerably. This is particularly true when the class of gaming devices include games such as 21, keno, bingo, roulette, and others where the theoretical pay out is dependent on items such as a deck of cards, the selection of a set of numbers from a superset, etc.
When a gaming device is linked to a progressive prize it is traditionally expected to contribute a portion of its wagers to the progressive prize. In all known prior art, the contribution percent factor is a part of the progressive prize's attributes. This results in the same contribution percent factor being applied to the wagers made on every linked gaming device.
From the perspective of the progressive prize, the sum of all the wagers made on all the linked gaming devices for each theoretical prize award is known as the prize's total wager amount. The contribution percent factor represents the portion of the prize's total wager amount that then determines the progressive prize value. For example if the average prize award were anticipated to be $1,500,000 and the percentage of wagers used to support the prize value were 1.5%, then the prize's total wager amount needed to support the prize value would be $100,000,000. In this example, any gaming device linked to this prize would need a pay line that has a total wager amount of $100,000,000, the pay line's total wager amount being the product of the wager value times the odds of winning. This ensures all participants participating for the prize make the same theoretical monetary investment to win the prize.
The oldest progressive prize computer systems support one progressive prize and require all participating gaming devices to have the same wager amount and odds for winning. This effectively satisfied all the requirements of the progressive prize to game linkage. In these systems, linkage is accomplished by physically connecting a particular gaming device to the network controlled by the progressive prize's computer systems.
Large progressive prize values proved to be a significant attraction for players. However, the limitation presented by the corresponding large total wager amount drove an industry desire for methods that would enable increasing the base of participating gaming devices. The more gaming devices that can be linked to a progressive prize, the easier it is to satisfy the prize's total wager amount thus resulting in timely prize awards that promote more player attraction.
One apparent solution, judging from patent history, was to invent methods that would enable gaming devices that used different denomination coins to participate for a common prize. For example, instead of being limited to linking a few dollar games in a casino to a progressive prize, multiple denomination methods could theoretically enable any denomination game to be linked to a common prize. This increases the participation base and enables the prize to reach its total wager amount more easily. At the same time it overcomes a casino's apprehension towards dedicating too much floor space to the same kind of game.
The control processes of a system illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,116,055 allow gaming devices accepting different coin denominations of the same currency to be played for a common progressive prize. An Electronic Translator appears to translate the unique coin/pulse information normally generated by each game, into a set of information that results in each game making an approximately equal value of dollars to jackpot amount. The results produced by the Electronic Translator appear to make all the gaming devices look the same to the controlling computer system. Thus, this prior art appears to use the same linkage methods employed by older systems, which is accomplished by physically connecting a particular gaming device's Electronic Translator to the network controlled by the progressive prize's computer system.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,885,158 discloses methods for linking gaming devices that accept wagers of the same currency but of different denomination coins to a common progressive prize. The disclosed linkage methods mathematically determine that there is compatibility between the two distinct entities of the progressive prize and the gaming device. This effectively creates a second level of linkage that further qualifies which progressive prizes a gaming device may participate in once it is physically linked to the progressive prize's computer system. While these methods appear to enable increasing the participation base, they have several limitations. For example, one limitation requires that the coin wagered on a gaming device must be a multiple of the coin the prize is based upon. This would prevent a quarter gaming device from participating for a prize based on a one-dollar denomination.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,608 discloses a free play apparatus and methods that use a progressive prize's total wager amount and a gaming device's wager amount to compute the odds of a participant winning a progressive prize. The disclosed linkage methods enable the free play apparatus' logic to get a progressive prize's total wager amount via a logical linkage. Once physically linked to the computer system the free play apparatus receives the total wager amounts of any prizes that have been logically linked to it. It then enables the gaming device to participate in the progressive prizes. While this invention effectively eliminates restrictions related to the denomination or currency of a wager, it does nothing to address the limitation related to the potential conflict between a prize's contribution percent and a game's theoretical pay out percentage.
As previously stated, a gaming device connected to a progressive prize has traditionally been expected to contribute a portion of each wager to the progressive prize. It is well known that the contribution percent factor is a part of the progressive prize's attributes. This results in the same contribution percent factor being applied to every linked device. A particular device may have a very high theoretical pay out such as 98%, which pays out on average, 98 dollars for every 100 dollars wagered on this device. The size of the prize's contribution percent factor may hinder the ability to link the device to the progressive prize. The reason is if the progressive prize's contribution percent factor were a value of 2% or more, then it would be impossible to make a profit on a game with a theoretical pay out of 98% or more. This would effectively prevent the device from being linked to that prize.
There exists a need to enable the contribution percent factor to be a part of each device's attributes. Each device could then have a contribution percent factor that is compatible with the device's game's theoretical pay out, thus enabling a wider variety of devices to be linked to each progressive prize. For example, devices with games having very low theoretical pay outs could afford to support a high contribution percent factor while a device with games having a very high theoretical pay out may have a low contribution percent factor. This would enable further increasing a progressive prize's participation base.
Further, there exists a need for allowing any device that accepts a monetary transaction to participate for any progressive prize. Using the methods disclosed in this invention the only device requirement for linkage to a prize would be the ability to accept a monetary transaction. The monetary transaction value may then be used for participation in a prize.
Certain embodiments of the invention incorporate these advantages by disclosing methods of linkage between prizes and devices that enable assigning the contribution percentage to a device. These methods enable any device that accepts a monetary transaction to participate for any prize.
Advantages
At least one embodiment of the present invention enables any device accepting monetary transactions to be linked with at least one prize.
At least one embodiment of the present invention enables assigning a contribution percent factor to each linked device.
At least one embodiment of the present invention enables assigning a contribution percent factor
At least one embodiment of the present invention enables linking a device and prize regardless of the device's currency or denomination of monetary transaction, or theoretical payout.
At least one embodiment of the present invention expands the participation base of a prize.
As the participation base for a prize is expanded, the owner of the prize is afforded more flexibility in determining how the total contribution amount will be distributed to the monetary requirements of the prize.
These and other advantages may be realized by reference to the remaining portion of the specification claim and abstract.